Maternal Health
and founder
recounts her traumatic birthing experience that inspired her to become a vocal advocate for mothers everywhere
When people have choices, they choose the people and institutions who treat them the best.
The actress
of Baby Yams
TATYANA ALI
Tatyana Ali on Why Listening to Mothers Has to Be the Future of Maternal Care
How did your own journey into motherhood shape the way you think about maternal health?
I don’t think that I had really thought about maternal health as an issue until my first pregnancy. Not until my first birth experience did I really start to think about it, because that birth experience was not anything that I had been prepared for. It was extremely traumatic, and I experienced obstetric violence in the hospital and was very much gaslit during the postpartum period, told that there was nothing wrong. We had a healthy baby after the NICU, thank God, but the violence I experienced in the hospital led to my son being in the NICU. It was very traumatic, but I just went on with the business of life and taking care of my son.
Then, I found out very happily that I was pregnant again, and that’s when everything shifted into focus. Having experienced what I had, I couldn’t rely on the healthcare providers that I had relied on before. That’s when my work started. As I went on that journey and met incredible advocates and founders of the reproductive justice movement, the women who coined the term Black maternal health, I knew I wanted to help amplify their decades-long work, so that what I was learning could benefit other families, too.
Why is listening to mothers such a critical part of maternal care?
It’s a critical part because no one
can give birth for you. We have a healthcare industry that believes birth is a disease or an illness and treats it that way. But life is coming through the mother. Once you shift that perspective, how could you not be listening to the person giving birth?
How does your work with Baby Yams help educate and empower parents navigating pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood?
Baby Yams celebrates the kind
of care I received from the Black midwife who supported me during the birth of my youngest son. Her care started to heal what I had been through previously and became a guiding light for how my family should be treated wherever we go.
I didn’t realize healthcare could feel like that. That same spirit of empowerment also inspired my children’s book “Aszi and the Octopus”, part of the Scholastic Rising Voices Collection, which celebrates
imagination, identity, and representation for young readers.
Baby Yams donates a portion of its proceeds toward grants and scholarships for Black and Indigenous midwives and doulas. The quilts use iconic West African fabrics mixed with solid colors, blending old traditions with new.
The healthcare system, as it is now, is failing black families. Traditional Black midwifery possesses the knowledge and wisdom to provide healing care.
The healthcare system, as it is now, is failing black families. Traditional Black midwifery possesses the knowledge and wisdom to provide healing care. But we need to invest in new systems that support their work. That’s the message powering Baby Yams and what I know we must achieve.
Things have got to change. We have to invest in community midwives and doulas so families have choices. When people have choices, they choose the people and institutions who treat them the best.
Tatyana Ali | Photo by Manfred Baumann
Listening to Mothers: New Research Highlights Gaps in Care for New and Expecting Moms
There’s a significant maternal health crisis in America. Recent data shows the maternal mortality rate is nearly 19 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births. For Black, non-Hispanic mothers, the rate is more than 50 deaths for every 100,000 live births. That’s the highest maternal mortality rate globally across developed countries.
The overwhelming majority (80%) of these maternal deaths are preventable, and more effective solutions exist but aren’t being used.
“We can’t be the country that we say we are, and the leader we say we are and aspire to be if we are forgetting about our moms and leaving them to fend for themselves,” said Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families (NPWF). “There’s so much that we could be doing to support new moms.”
NPWF has surveyed thousands of mothers of infants and toddlers since 2002. Their nationwide initiative, Listening to Mothers, gathers insights from birthing women about pregnancy, giving birth, and postpartum support for them and their babies.
The newest survey of 3,800 mothers, Listening to Mothers IV, shows gaps in access to high-quality care, disrespect and disempowerment of birthing women, and unmet medical, mental health, and social needs for birthing women. NPWF partnered with Black Mamas Matter Alliance and MomsRising for the survey.
Too little access to high-quality care “Luck alone should never determine if somebody can live or thrive, and too often it does,” said Kristin RoweFinkbeiner, executive director and CEO of MomsRising. “We need emergency national change to address the emergencies facing moms across America.”
It’s critical that women have access to healthcare near where they live, including doctors, midwives, and doulas. NPWF wants to ensure women have access to these professionals, as well as community-health workers, lactation support, and childbirth educators.
Respectful care
Survey responses show birthing women don’t always feel respected. For example, 40% of mothers didn’t feel heard and listened to by their providers.
“People talk about things that didn’t go well that stick out to them,” said Nan Strauss, senior director of maternal health at NPWF. “It’s not feeling heard, listened to, or valued; being treated disrespectfully; not feeling informed; and also experiencing discrimination.”
NPWF is calling for respectful care for every mother and every birth, including developing a system for mothers and families to report instances of disrespectful care.
maternal mental health conditions,” said Angela Doyinsola Aina, Dr.P.Hc., M.P.H., the co-founder and executive director of the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA).
Solutions
Luck alone should never determine if somebody can live or thrive, and too often it does.
Unmet mental health needs
The survey shows many birthing women have mental health concerns. Overall, 20-25% of respondents experienced symptoms of depression, and 35-45% experienced symptoms of anxiety before, during, and after pregnancy.
More than half of postpartum women surveyed didn’t receive treatment for their treatable mental health conditions.
“Although Black mothers and birthing people experience higher rates of depressive symptoms, studies have shown that they were significantly less likely to seek and receive treatment for
NPWF is calling for solutions that close persistent gaps in maternity care coverage, access, and quality, namely expanding team-based models of care that integrate midwives, doulas, and community health workers alongside medical providers, while ensuring these supports are covered and sustainably paid for. The organization is also urging stronger accountability for equitable, respectful care that centers women’s voice and choice; a strong Medicaid program and improved maternal mental health coverage; and robust social support infrastructure like paid family and sick leave that help families thrive before and after birth.
Without continued investment and action, the nation risks losing hard-won progress toward safer, more equitable care for women and families.
“The solutions are out there, but they remain vastly underutilized,” Strauss said. “They’re not available, they’re not prioritized, they’re not funded. And new moms and babies are the ones who are paying the price, and those are the very people that as a society, we need to be investing in.”
Written by Kristen Castillo
Scan here to read the full Listening to Mothers report:
INTERVIEW WITH Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising
INTERVIEW WITH Jocelyn Frye President, National Partnership for Women & Families (NPWF)
INTERVIEW WITH Nan Strauss Senior Director of Maternal Health, National Partnership for Women & Families (NPWF)
INTERVIEW WITH Angela Doyinsola Aina, Dr.P.Hc., M.P.H. Co-Founder and Executive Director, Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA)
Mental Health Needs of Mothers Are Often Ignored
THE SYSTEM IS FAILING MOTHERS.
60% OF MOTHERS REPORTED PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS in the first 12 weeks after birth
MAJOR GAPS, REAL CONSEQUENCES NO TREATMENT
53% of mothers with anxiety or depression did not receive counseling nor medication postpartum.
GREATER BARRIERS. GREATER NEEDS.
56% of mothers with disabilities reported postpartum depression symptoms ONGOING DEPRESSION
20 –25% of moms reported depression before, during and after pregnancy
MANY MOTHERS FEEL IGNORED
40% of mothers did not feel heard or listened to by providers
BASIC NEEDS ARE HEALTH NEEDS
22% of mothers reported needs like housing and food a year after birth
Moms need better access to mental health services that meet their needs from pregnancy through postpartum and beyond, and this means investing in a strong mental health workforce.